Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-02-13
The New York Strike.


The great strike in New York city and
vicinity virtually came to an end Friday.
The leaders Of it were unable to call any
more men out, and many Of those already
out were so dissatisfied that nothing re-
manned to be done but to admit that the
strike was a failure.
At no time was there any disposition
on the part of employers to accede 10 the
demands of the strikers. They suffered
considerable inconvenience but, as gen.
eral thing, they were able to get enough
men, who were not connected with labor
unions, TO carry on their business opera
tions. The lack of coal compelled a few
factories to close their doors, but in these
cases the losses of the operatives were
fully as great as those Of the factory pro-
rrietors.
The fact that so many men were
easily obtained to take the place of the
strikers is what broke the backbone Of the
strike. The longshoremen and others,
who, at the dictation of their labor lead
ers, struck to assist the striking coal
handlers, saw that they were losing their
chance for permanent employment, and
they became restless and dissatisfied.
Their fsmilies, also, began to suffer for
the necessarles OF life, and this led them
to inquire whether they were not in duty
bound to provide for their families before
trying to assist the coal handlers, with
whose troubles they were in no way con-
nected, and with the merits Of whose
complaints they had little or no Rcquaint-
ance.
The brewers and eccentric engineers
when called upon by the labor leaders to
Join the strike declined to do so, not only
because they had no grievances, but also
because they saw that the strike was al
ready failure. The brewers knew that
by striking they would, without cause,
inflict a great injury upon their en-
ployers which could not be repaired, and
the engineers were satisfied that their po-
sitions would be quickly taken by new
men, and that they would only injure
| themselves.
All of the great strikes within the last
year failed. The great Southwestern
strike on the Gould system of railroads
brought pinching poverty to the doors of
hundreds of workingmen. The strike in
Chicago, when thousands of men in the
stock yards demanded the eight-hour sys-
TEN, was a marked failure, and this New
York strike came to an end without any
benefit to workingmen in any field OF
labor.
A review Of these great labor disturb
ances and many minor ones can leave no
other impression than that strikes and
boycotts do not settle labor difficulties,
and that they do those who employ them
more harm in the long run than those who
are the intended victims of them. The
theory upon which the New York strike
was based, that an injury to one is an in
jury to all, is wrong, and repugnant to the
common sense of workingmen. The tens
of thousands Of worklngmen who were
forced 10 abandon their work
at the command OF labor
leaders for the purpose OF
helping the coal handlers to force their
employers to comply with their demands
perhaps felt that they were the victims of
a more cruel despotism than that of capt.
tai, which they hoped to overthrow by
means Of labor organizations. Because
one employer treats his employees badly
1t is no reason why other employers
should be damaged, and because the
workingmen of one branch of labor be-
come dissatisfied 1t is no reason why the
workingmen of other branches should be
required to expose themselves and fami.
lies to starvation.
1t is to the interest OF workingmen to
find some other means than strikes and
boycotts to settle labor troubles, because
as long as they depend upon them they
will do themselves more injury than
good.